An Egyptian politician has publicly explained publicly why he thinks FGM is right

An Egyptian politician has suddenly made it a little bit clearer why the world can be such a terrible place, when he stood up in front of Parliament and explained why he believes (genuinely) that female genital mutilation is right.

Elhamy Agina publicly announced that he agrees with the practice that sees 91% of Egyptian women aged between 15 and 49 have their clitoris either partially or fully removed in a surgery that's hugely traumatic both emotionally and physically.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Getty

The MP told Parliament, unbelievably, that the reason he believes the illegal custom should continue is because of the "sexual weakness" Egyptian men suffer. Essentially, because they can't keep it in their pants, the women of Egypt must have their own genitals mutilated.

Agina also insists FGM "reduces a woman's sexual appetite" and helps them "stand by their men". It's completely backwards, it's wrong, and it's shocking that these words could have come out of his mouth without him realising how dangerous what he's saying really is.

"We are a population whose men suffer from sexual weakness, which is evident because Egypt is among the biggest consumers of sexual stimulants that only the weak will consume. If we stop female genital mutilation (FGM), we will need strong men and we don't have men of that sort."

Thankfully, it doesn't seem as though the Egyptian government agrees with Agina's twisted ideals, having announced plans to sentence those who force women into FGM to much longer stints in prison than ever before. Once this is put in place, perpetrators can expect to serve between five and seven years in jail, or longer if there are any deformities or fatalities as a result of the FGM.

It's positive that Egypt's government is working hard to abolish the idea that a practice so dangerous and harrowing is something all women 'need', but for a public figure such as this MP to announce his belief in the custom is just awful. It counters the view of the parliament, and could well fuel others' personal beliefs that women should be cut, which in turn may increase occurrence of the practice.